Fracture
by TreacleTart301
Summary: A love story. Teddy. Victoire. Heartbreak. Told in 100 word micro-stories
1. Chapter 1: First Love

I know from the moment I first see him that he's something special. I'm too young to understand what love is exactly, but regardless, I feel inexplicably drawn to him. For the first time I can actually feel magic coursing through my veins.

He looks up and catches me staring. A flush creeps up my cheeks and my skin burns white hot. I turn away in an attempt hide my embarrassment. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him moving towards me and my heart starts to pound like mad.

"Hi. I'm Teddy. What's your name?" he says.

* * *

A scarlet dress hangs from my closet door. It's the twelfth one I've tried on so far, but nothing seems to be fitting quite right. I sigh as I continue to sort through the pile of material that constitutes my closet. Finally, I settle on a sapphire blue frock that I hope will at least bring out the color of my eyes.

I take one last look in the mirror and smooth the flowing skirt of my dress down. Taking a deep breath, I tear myself away and head downstairs. Teddy has been waiting patiently to take me to Hogsmeade.

* * *

My hands shake as I undo the buttons of his shirt. I'm terrified, but try my best not to let it show. I've never done this before and have no idea what to expect. Only the whispered words of the girls in my dormitory guide me now.

I feel his intense gaze on me, but I avoid eye contact. I can't let him see the fear.

"Hey," he says as he grasps my hands. "We don't have to do this if you aren't ready. We can wait."

I nod my head slightly and kiss him before returning to the buttons.

* * *

"Victoire," he shouts at me as I rush down the corridors. I'm running late to class and can't afford the distraction.

Loud footsteps thunder behind me. A rough hand grasps at my arm.

"Victoire. I wanted to tell you something and I don't think it can wait until the end of the day."

I shrug my arm from his grasp. "Teddy, I'm late for class already and you know how Professor Chang gets."

"It's important," he murmurs.

"What? What is it?" I demand.

He looks at the floor, unusually shy. His words barely come out a whisper. "I love you."

* * *

It's Christmas and the Weasley-Potter-Granger-Lupin family has all joined for celebrations. People are piled into every nook and crany of Uncle Harry's home. Eggnog is being passed around by the pitcher full and the feast that Aunt Ginny prepared has long since been devoured. Everything is perfect.

Out of nowhere, Teddy stands up and calls for everyone's attention. The room goes deadly quiet. Deep down, I know what's coming before he even starts to speak. I start to tear up as he begins his speech.

"Victoire, will you marry me?" he finishes as he holds out a sparkling diamond ring.

* * *

 _Hi there!_

 _This story was originally posted on HPFF for MuggleMaybe's Super Microfiction Challenge. The goal was to tell a story with 100 word micro stories. In this story each chapter contains 5 100 word micro stories, so each chapter is exactly 500 words._

 _I'd love to know what you thought of it, so feel free to leave a comment!_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _~Kaitlin/TreacleTart_


	2. Chapter 2: Rumblings of War

Whispers of war flutter across Wizarding England. Minister Kingsley tries to keep the population calm, but with more and more disappearances every day, it seems impossible to ignore reality. A coup is forming and the Ministry is in danger. Radicals threaten everything that the nation holds dear.

Teddy tells me he must follow in his father's footsteps and fight for his country. If he does nothing, he will regret it for life. I plead with him not to go. I fear that war will break him in ways that I can't mend, but regardless of my concerns, he goes anyway.

* * *

An unplanned visit from Teddy leads to a surprise wedding. With the looming danger, we decide we can't afford to wait. We've been giving a lot of thought to our own mortality as of late and that spurs us on.

It's a simple affair. White lilies from the local shop. Nana Weasley makes a large dinner and Aunt Audrey bakes us a beautiful cake. It's mostly family and one or two friends, but all that matters is that Teddy is mine and I am his. We will be together for the rest of our lives until death do us part.

* * *

An owl taps on my window close to midnight and adrenaline surges through me. News coming this late can only be bad. With trembling hands I unlock the window and allow the weathered bird inside. I frantically remove the parchment from its leg before it flies off to perch on my stand.

 _My dearest Victoire,_

 _I miss you terribly. War is a very lonely experience and the only thing that gets me through it is the thought of being in your arms again one day. I carry your picture with me all of the time._

 _With all my love,_

 _Teddy_

* * *

I stand inside of my grandmother-in-laws home awaiting the moment when Teddy will return. He's been gone far too long and I ache for him.

I hear a loud crack in the front yard and I know he is home. I tear open the door, run down the stairs, and fling myself into his arms. The fear that he won't return lifts from my shoulders and I began to sob. His presence leaves me completely undone.

Teddy wraps his arms around me and pulls me tight against him. "You can't imagine how much I've missed you. I love you, Victoire."

* * *

Dishes shatter against the wall and I stand in my dining room completely shell shocked. Teddy is in an uncontrollable rage, screaming and smashing things. I'm not quite certain what he's angry about, but I try my best to calm him.

"Teddy," I say in a measured voice. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"You know what you did!" he screams as he launches a glass at my head.

I manage to duck just in time. Glass explodes all around me, cutting my fair skin.

"Please," I beg. "Just tell me what I did, so I don't do it again."


	3. Chapter 3: Comme ci, Comme ça

"I'm sorry, my love," Teddy whispers as he pulls me into his arms. I sob unabashedly into his chest and he tries his best to console me, but there's something in his rigid movements that doesn't feel right. This isn't the man I married, the man I've loved my whole life. He'd never hurt me or belittle me for the smallest of mistakes. He was gentle and kind. He cherished me above all else.

But I've come to realize the man that I remember so well is gone. All I have left is an empty shell standing in his place.

* * *

It's Rose's birthday and the whole family is together. I watch as my cousins share stories of their travels and adventures. I feel like a complete outsider.

"Teddy didn't want to come?" Albus asks as he walks up behind me.

I nod my head and try not to let the tears that threaten to burst from me fall. "You know how he is anymore. Refuses to do anything that requires social interaction."

Albus seems to notice my forlorned state. He always was more perceptive than everyone else. "I'm sorry, Victoire. I know things are messed up, but he'll get better."

* * *

It's been a long day and I come home from work exhausted. All I want is to take a long hot bath and read. Maybe if I slip into one of my favorite books, I can pretend for a little while that the world isn't crumbling around me.

Steam coats the mirrors and hot water scalds my skin as I slide into the tub. I inhale the smell of lavender wafting up from the water and try to relax. My heart pounds in my chest. I remind myself that he isn't home. Finally, after eternity, I am able to relax.

* * *

"What do you think about going to some sort of therapy? Albus mentioned that St. Mungo's has a really great counseling program. Maybe it would help you," I whisper, hoping not to initiate another fight.

Teddy doesn't move, but I can feel the fury mounting inside of him. "Why would Albus mention that?" he says, his voice dripping with threat.

"They're you're family too. They know you're struggling."

Lunging forward, Teddy slams me into the wall. "Busy telling your family about my business I see. Trying to make everyone believe that I'm a crazy person? Keep your mouth shut, Victoire."

* * *

My steps echo against the walls of St. Mungo's as I make the long walk to my counselor's office.

"Hello Victoire. How are you today?" she asks in a neutral tone.

" _Comme ci, comme ça_ ," I say with a shrug.

"Any fights lately?"

"No." I answer. "There's nothing lately. Teddy barely speaks at all. It's like I don't even exist anymore. On one hand, it's nice not being screamed at all the time, but on the other hand it's depressing to see how much our marriage has disintegrated. I miss the man that I married."

* * *

 _Comme ci, comme ça – so-so_


	4. Chapter 4: Crumbling

I sit alone in our bedroom, knees hugged to my chest, staring at the pictures of Teddy and I. Younger versions of the two of us mock me with their smiles and laughter. If only they knew how things turned out, they'd have no reason to laugh.

It's been months since Teddy's touched me. Our marriage bed has become our funeral pyre and our relationship is slowly dying on it. I want desperately to feel him caress my skin or even to just hold my hand. I'm starving for some sort of connection. He seems determined to let me die.

* * *

A loud mournful sob echoes through the halls of our home and shake me from my sleep. I enter the kitchen to find a drunken Teddy sobbing all over the dinner table.

"Come on, love," I say as I gently guide him to bed.

"I still love you," he mumbles softly. "You know that, right?"

A small flame flickers in my heart and I wonder if some part of him might be fighting to come back to me.

We fall into bed and tangle into each other. It's drunken and sloppy, but it's something.

In the morning, Teddy doesn't remember.

* * *

"Rose, do you suppose it would be wrong of me to leave him?" I ask, fearful of how my cousin might react.

She studies me intensely before answering. "Well, Teddy is as good as a cousin to me and I love him dearly, but you two haven't been happy in ages. Maybe it's time for you to start moving on."

Tears start to form and I blink hard to stop them. "I never imagined that I'd be contemplating divorce at twenty five," I answer, the misery clear in my voice.

"No one ever does," Rose replies as she hugs me.

* * *

Teddy tells me that he's made a friend at the local bar. Someone who's been through war and understands him in a way that I never will. When he comes home late, clearly drunk, sometimes high, I tell him it's okay because I want so badly to believe that he's finally talking to someone.

The late nights become more and more frequent until I hardly remember what he sounds like when he snores. Waking up at two or three in the morning to hear him creeping into our home becomes ritual. I fear for the worst, but I stay silent.

* * *

It's close to midnight and I sit in our bed reading when a tapping at the window breaks my concentration. I unlatch the window thinking it might be an emergency. With shaking hands, I uncoil the parchment.

 _Dearest Teddy,_

 _I know that you're busy with work right now, but I had to tell you how much I miss you when you're gone. All I can think about is how amazing last night was. You make me feel like my soul is on fire. I love you._

 _Always yours,_

 _Cara_

I sink to my knees and cry until the sun rises.


	5. Chapter 5: Shattered

"Where were you?" I ask, even thought I know the answer to my question.

Teddy smiles and rubs my arm. "With James. Thought it was time I paid him a visit."

The lie cuts me. "Are you sure?" I question further.

"Course I am," he responds.

Leaning down, he plants a light kiss on my forehead. Kisses like this used to be the normal, but it's been ages since the last one. Tears threaten to fall and bile rises in my throat.

He doesn't notice

"So you being late had nothing to do with Cara?"

Teddy freezes in his tracks.

* * *

Rose stands by my side in silence. I can tell she doesn't know what to say. No one does really.

I cry without restraint as I take the pictures off of my wall. The girl laughing and smiling in them seems vaguely familiar to me, like a pleasant dream I had once.

"If you want to rest, I can pack the pictures for you," Rose says. She gives me the smallest of smiles and I can see the pity in her eyes.

"No," I murmur. This is something that I know I have to do myself. I must say goodbye.

* * *

Teddy holds me in his arms and I cling to his shirt. This is the worst day of my life.

"Once you've reversed the marriage spell, it can't be undone…" a wizard drones somewhere to my right. I can hardly hear what he's saying because I'm so focused on not collapsing to the floor.

I can feel Teddy staring down at me, but I avoid eye contact at all costs. I know that if I look at him my resolve will crumble.

Shimmering gold bands are drawn from our bodies.

"Your marriage is now officially undone," says the old wizard.

* * *

It's been six months of living hell. Everything in the house that we once shared reminds me of him. His ghost haunts me wherever I go. I just want to move on and live in peace, but his memory refuses to let me.

I've tried to explain how I feel to Rose, but she doesn't understand. The guilt at forsaking our vows is eating me alive, but to her it's just words. I should just forget them and move on. I should erase his memory from my mind, forget that he ever existed.

If only life were really that simple.

* * *

I'm out shopping with my friends when I see Teddy across the street. He has some young blonde girl hanging off of his arm and even from here I can see the way her belly curves as if she's carrying a child.

My friends speak in low whispers, worrying about what they should do. Gentle arms lead me away, but it's too late. The image of his happiness is seared into my mind. I will never be able to unsee her and him and how happy they are.

I can't ever erase the image of how my life should've been.


End file.
